As the saying goes, “When the cat’s away, the mice come out to play,” and this issue is a testament to that statement. While editor/publisher/boss Jack Wright is away enjoying his first true vacation in years, advertising manager Jason Black, intern Jon Roth and I have been running amuck – well, not so much Jason. Jason pretty much does the same thing every day regardless of who is around. He is a man of routine. I guess I shouldn’t say we’ve been running amuck, either. Yes, I may have hijacked this page without prior approval, but you’ll find that you are holding yet another enjoyable issue of Exit Zero… I hope.

What we have done is try to implement some of the things we’ve been discussing together (the mice whisper around the water cooler when the cat’s not listening). We (mostly me) are taking the chance to bring those ideas to you, so that you can get a flavor for what some of the underlings at your favorite publication have been up to. I hope that you’ll enjoy.

Now, the first thing on that agenda is our easy-to-read, easy-to-navigate list of things happening This Week in Cape May on page 31. It’s useful for both locals and tourists. Want to know what band is playing at what bar? Want to know what events are happening? This handy page has everything you need to plan a weekend. I don’t usually bother to consult the paper before heading out for the weekend, but the hope is that having everything so easily accessible will encourage that behavior. It really is convenient. So, you no longer have an excuse to lounge around the same old bar.

We also wanted to give you a feel for what goes on behind the scenes. You’ll find a short snippet from Jon Roth about what it’s like to work in this crazy office on page 59. Jon is our intern this summer, and he’s been great – though not quite as good as I was. One of the perks that Jon has enjoyed is that he has not had to pose nude for the magazine. As such, he’s been bestowed with the title of Assistant Editor, whereas I was (and to some extent still AM) unofficially dubbed The Naked Intern.

Jon’s also been given the opportunity to write to you about the woes of his paying job as a server in the debut of Customer Service on page 17. We’d appreciate it if you would give us some feedback. If you’re a server here in Cape May and want to share a story with us, please email dan@exitzero.us. Try to keep your story positive. We all know how frustrating waiting on others can be, but there are some very funny, very happy stories out there. We want to hear them.

Feel free to send us a 500-word story or a brief synopsis of the story you want to share. If we like the idea, we’ll email you back and tell you to write it. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar too much, because that’s what Jon’s here for – just write it as you would say it. This applies to chefs, cooks, bartenders – anyone in the service industry. Make sure the subject line of the email reads “Customer Service.”

If you’re a reader and you enjoyed the column, please let us know. With enough feedback we might be able to continue this through subsequent issues. And – if you feel so inclined – we’d enjoy your feedback on the other columns in Exit Zero, too. You can write a few words about each; you can tell us why one is your favorite; you can rank each column from 1-5 – it’s entirely up to you. Respondents will be entered to win a handful of gift certificates to local businesses. Just email dan@exitzero.us. Make sure the subject line of the email reads, “EZ Review.”

I’ve also asked advertising manager Jason Black to put together a few words. Jason is quite a character, and while many of you regularly speak with Jason over the phone, very few people get to know him the way we do. I’m going to try to convince him to share some of that with you. He’s not a big writer, but I think you’ll enjoy his Behind the Scenes at Exit Zero Publishing on page 83.

The last thing I want to put out there is an apology to editor Jack Wright. I hope the paper is error-free and that the new features are met with a good reception. Please don’t fire me, Jack. I hear it’s a tough economy for job hunting.

I enjoy reading Exit Zero so much but I have to confess, those gag ads that someone puts in had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. There was one advertising rides on whales or something, with a photo of a kid on a whale as it's coming out of the water? Oh, roflmsockso